The Garrison, The Dream, The Girl
by GoPenguinSleddingWithMe
Summary: Sequel to "Who's That Boy?" Katie is finally able to meet Lance at the Garrison. Would they be a blushing mess towards each other or would they form a bond (that could last forever)?


**I'm finally back and this is my first lengthy fic. I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **A big shout-out and thank you to AlwaysInSonder for doing the beta on this fic.**

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It was Friday afternoon and Lance, like most cadets, was just eager to leave his class and indulge in his weekend plans. Lance was one of the most hardworking cadets in the Garrison and you might think that he's just going to focus on his studies, right? Well, he's just like any other kid who needs to take a break from their studies eventually and have fun, relax or do what they want to on a weekend. In Lance's case, it was to go out to town and have pizza, maybe see some girls on the way. He was getting bored in class and his mind slowly drifted away into a daydream. He's having this _weird_ thought about hanging out with a girl under a tree. He wasn't too sure as to why his brain decided to think of that, but he wanted it to last longer. However, his thoughts snapped as the bell rang, and cadets packed up their things to leave. Lance was about to leave the room when Shiro gestured him over. "Hello Sir Shirogane, is there anything I could help you with?"

"Nothing really, but could you come with me to my office?"

Lance was a bit shocked at Shiro's request, "Is this about my performance? Because I'm doing everything I can here in the Garrison," his nervousness grew.

Shiro calmed him down, "Don't worry Lance, it's not about that. Though there's something that might interest you."

Lance's worry disappeared right away, "Uhh, okay Sir."

"Just go ahead in my office, I still need to sort some things out." "I'll be there in a bit."

Lance then went to his office while Adam caught up with Shiro, "So, what was that with him?"

"Oh, nothing really," a small smile appeared on Shiro's face.

"Nothing huh?" his voice sounded curious.

"It's just that I'm telling Lance that he's going to meet Commander Holt tomorrow, that might interest him."

"Is that it?" Adam was still a bit doubtful, "I know that face, that's the face you make when you have a surprise. Come on, what is it really?"

Shiro decided to spill the beans, "Maybe his daughter Katie would be there too, maybe Lance might get interested with her you know?" He then decided to leave the room.

"Playing matchmaker huh? I don't know about your success rate Takashi, are you any good at doing that?" He had a playful voice.

"Oh, what's that? I didn't hear it. Lance is waiting for me," Both of them laughed as Shiro left the room.

Lance waited around 5 minutes before Shiro got into his office. He stood up as he entered the room but Shiro gestured him to sit, "So, what's the reason for me being here Sir?"

"I have something that you might be interested in," Lance perked up, "Do you want to meet Commander Holt?" His eyes widened, and he slowly started to smile.

"You mean the Commander Holt that helped designed the _Valiant?_ " Lance's excitement was now evident.

"The one and only." Shiro then joked, "Unless he got cloned," That earned him a laugh from Lance.

"Of course Sir, I'd like to meet him." There's now a lot of things running in Lance's mind ran with the possibility of meeting Commander Holt.

"I can see the excitement on your face," Shiro then added, "You can bring a friend if you want, they might be interested too."

Lance perked up "Thank you, Sir!"

"Eh, it's nothing. You're an outstanding cadet Lance, you've earned your place here for sure."

Lance was now blushing a bit and feeling flattered, "Thank you again Sir!"

"You're welcome, Lance. Just be at my office around 1030 tomorrow. Let's meet up here first before we proceed Sam's office." "Also, you don't need to be formal tomorrow. You can just wear your casual clothes since it's the weekend anyway."

"No problem Sir!"

"You can leave now if you don't have any questions." 

As Lance left Shiro's office, he released his pent-up joy on the prospect of meeting Commander Holt. He pumped his arms in the air and almost shouted but remembered that he could get in trouble for doing so. That might not be a good thing for tomorrow. He immediately rushed out to find Hunk and tell him the good news.

Hunk was currently reading some engineering material and thinking about their plans for tomorrow. When Lance suggested that they do something, they usually get in trouble but they're always lucky that it's just receive a verbal warning from the Disciplinary Office. Even though you might see Lance as a _role model_ for the students because of his exemplary skills, he can still get trouble from time to time. Most of the trouble he creates is just usually going to places where he shouldn't be or just sneaking out past curfew and if Hunk's with him, they get a mouthful from the officers after getting caught.

Hunk's mind switched from his reading to the plans for tomorrow and he couldn't focus on what he originally intended because his anxiousness slowly rose. Hunk could just say no for tomorrow, but he never does it because he always has Lance's back in these kinds of things. They were childhood best friends and they have been there for each other since. He was busy thinking about these things until he heard a noise outside their room. Lance barged into their dorm, "Hunk! I've got some good news."

Hunk was skeptical since he knew it might just mean trouble, "Is it really any good? Every time you say good news, we just end up in trouble."

"Ow, come on buddy" He pretended to be hurt, "You don't trust me anymore?"

"Fine. What is it?"

"Where's the enthusiasm Hunk? This is probably the best news that you would hear," Hunk's curiosity grew but he's still a little anxious, "Lieutenant Shirogane invited me to see Commander Holt tomorrow."

Hunk was pleasantly surprised, "Really?" And a smile formed on his face too.

Lance was glad at his response, "Yeah, he also said that I can invite someone else too," as he eyed him.

Hunk stood up from his chair and immediately gave him a tight hug and lifted him off his feet, "Uh, woah there buddy, you're squeezing me too tight."

Hunk quickly dropped and released him, "Oops."

"It's okay, I was actually hoping that is the reaction that you would have," Lance settled in, "It's not that common to be invited to meet Commander Holt."

"By the way, thanks Lance for telling me this and inviting me too."

"Of course, Hunk, you're my best friend. You were the next thing that came up apart from the excitement of receiving the invite from Shiro," Lance now invited Hunk for a hug and this time, they eased up.

They settled on the things for tomorrow and talked about how it would go down. They were eager boys after all especially since they were meeting Commander Holt. He was one of the lead scientists that pushed for further deep space exploration and manned missions on the edge of the solar system. He also helped designed the _Valiant_ series of SSTOs, which was now the premiere spacecraft of choice for missions far away from home. It would really be an honor to meet Commander Holt and see this man lead Earth in discovering our final frontier. They got tired from their talking eventually and they would have one of the best sleeps in their life later that night. 

It was dinner time with the Holts and this time, the complete family was there. They often had dinners together but there were times where either Matt or Sam were busy at the Garrison and they couldn't go home. Matt usually has stories to tell on what was happening at the Garrison and Sam often added things here and there. Colleen and Katie listened to them but also talked about other things too. Near the end of their dinner, Sam mentioned the visit to the Garrison again, "I've found a time for us to go tomorrow, around 1030 since I still need to manage some things. It would also fit our lunch in Platt City so that's good too," Little did everyone know that he and Shiro talked about the visiting time so that Katie could see Lance tomorrow. He then decided to look at her daughter who looked interested compared to a few nights ago, "So, Katie, have you made your decision yet?" Matt also looked at her and is eagerly waiting to say yes.

"Of course, I'd actually go tomorrow. Why would I miss a chance to visit to the Garrison?" Katie shrugged it off as if it's just like a _normal_ _visit_.

Matt teased her, "Did you change your mind because you actually want to see Lance?" And he poked her side too.

"Shut up! It's not about him. Besides, he might not be even there tomorrow since he might just be studying," she sounded a bit sad on that last one because she might not see him.

He continued his teasing, "Is that sadness that I hear in your voice?" Sam grinned because he knew what would happen tomorrow and Colleen chuckled at this.

"What!? No! Why would I even be like that?" She tried to act as if it was nothing.

"Don't worry Pidge, I'll try my best to be quiet to Lance," He then winks at her. Matt had a fun time in the past couple of days playing with the thoughts of Katie finally having a _crush_. He unironically named the situation as _Katie's BOI_ where it stood for _Boy of Interest_. Because he's a memer and trying to implement memes in his life and it's technically correct with how she was behaving.

"Ugh, you're so annoying."

Sam decided to join the banter, "Maybe he's available you know? Even great cadets need to take a break too," Katie decided to be silent to avoid incriminating herself more.

They spent some more time at dinner and a miracle happened for Katie where everyone decided to drop the topic about the visit. She went up to her bedroom after helping with the cleanup and playing with Bae Bae for a bit. Instead of working on the code of some of her projects, she decided to do some _researching_ again.

What she really researching about was Lance McClain and finding out some things about him before hopefully seeing him tomorrow. Ever since Shiro told them that they could see Lance on their visit, Katie kept thinking about him and how interesting that boy was. She decided to look him up online so that she can _ease_ her brain from thinking about him too much. From what she found in the past couple of days of searching him, he was really an outstanding cadet that got featured on the Garrison's website. She found out some other background information from him as it was listed on the website. She also looked him up on other websites but never touched his social media. She felt that it might be an invasion of privacy and knew a line must be drawn when you wanted to know someone that didn't even know you.

She never got fixated on a person, much less someone she didn't even meet yet. But she might have slowly started to get a crush on him and was aware that it was happening to her. Yeah, Katie spotted some boys at her school too, but those feelings quickly went away as she found that she lost interest in them or that they were mean to her. She didn't have any _true friends_ at her school and she was being bullied from time to time in her classroom because of her intelligence. Sometimes, they decide to steal her food during breaks too. But lucky for her, she wasn't being constantly harassed in other occasions, it was just limited on those two. Her schoolmates don't really avoid her or look down on her, but she just tended to go _unnoticed_ because maybe no one wanted to be associated with the _nerd_ and potentially be bullied too. Her current social status in school was enough for her most of the time, however there are times that she wished that she had a friend she could easily talk to since there were moments that she felt alone and sad even if she tries to focus on working on something else.

She's hoping that if she met Lance tomorrow, she wished that even a small friendship between them might be formed even if they won't be able to meet much.

She was finishing up on what she was doing when there was a knock on the door, but she didn't notice it. She was wearing her green headphones and was too focused on what she was doing until she got a message on her phone. It was from Matt telling her to let him inside and she shouted at the door, "What do you want?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

Katie settled her things, let him into the room and she sat back on the bed, "Hey Pidge, you know I'm just doing a playful teasing on your _crush_ on Lance, right?" She noticed his concerned voice and was curious on what's this about, "I'm not trying to be a mean brother to you."

"Yeah, I know," She just smiles at how much her brother cared for her. He had been always there every time she'd feeling down or comforted her every time there was a bullying incident. They probably have one of the best relationships between siblings and even though they appear to argue a lot and _fight_ from time to time, it tended to be playful and they didn't take it too seriously. They just adore and be supportive of each other's goals.

He then decided to talk about what he came here for, "Also, this is about the crush thing again," And he sounded a little hesitant on that too.

Katie thought that she was free now but then got annoyed again that it resurfaced, "Yeah, yeah, fine. Maybe I have a crush on him," She admitted and gave up on the situation so hopefully her brother won't press on it anymore. She folded her legs toward herself and crossed her arms.

"Look, you can just come to me if you want to really talk about it, alright?" Katie noticed that there's a bit of seriousness on his voice and decides to look up on him, "I won't tease you, people like you at this age start to have their crushes too, you know?" "I just want you to talk to me, or even someone so that this situation of yours would go easier on you."

She didn't expect to hear this, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," as she adjusted her position to lay down on the bed

"Now, go to sleep, it's gonna be an exciting day tomorrow," He gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Goodnight Pidgeon."

She then responded, "Goodnight Matt." Katie had finally her goodnight sleep after days of thinking about Lance in her bedtime. 

It was the day of and Lance and Hunk were very excited to see Commander Holt. They woke up early for this and Hunk decided to spend more time in the kitchen for their breakfast as this was a _special occasion._ They eventually prepared themselves and were ready leave the dorms, but Hunk felt a bit nervous as to what they were wearing. Lance calmed him down and told him that what they're wearing fit with the rules of the Garrison and it's okay even if they're meeting someone higher up. The Garrison was pretty laxed compared to other schools in terms of strictness, uniform and grooming standards as it's not completely a military school but more of a mix like a normal university. The cadets can wear their casual clothing given that they finished their classes and if it's a weekend. Officer rank was not necessarily observed during weekends, so salutes aren't needed if they happen to meet an officer and a simple Sir or Ma'am was enough most of the time. The only time you needed to properly address an officer is when you got into trouble and of course, needed to show respect to them.

They went to Shiro's office so that they can get this started with. Shiro welcomed them and told them to sit for a while he checked if Sam was in his office by now. He messaged him and got a reply that they would be there in around 10 minutes. Shiro told both and decided to leave a while to check on something else. Lance and Hunk just used this time to talk about other things while waiting. 

The Holts were by the Garrison entrance when Sam got a message from Shiro and they were just dropping Bae Bae by the guard post. If you're wondering why Bae Bae came with them, it was because they were going to the park after eating lunch and were just have a relaxing afternoon. Besides, Bae Bae also got excited when they visited the Garrison because it means that he got to meet the guard dogs that he became friends with.

As soon as they've done that, Sam parked the car on his reserved slot in front of the main entrance. When they went out of the car, Matt and Katie decided to see something that was being installed nearby but their dad told them to come to his office after seeing that quickly. Apparently, it's a new generation of communication systems that's being set up and this piqued their curiosity. Colleen meanwhile decided to visit some of her old classmates who became instructors from the Communication Department. Sam was walking towards his office until when Shiro spots him, "Oh hey, you're here."

"Took as a bit longer than usual. We took a detour on our way here."

"That's fine, the boys are just waiting in my office," He was about to get them until he almost forgot something, "Is Katie here too?"

"Yeah, but she went with Matt to see something, but I told them come here soon."

"So, she finally said yes on going with you?"

"Well, she said that she doesn't want to _skip any chances_ to visit the Garrison."

"Or skip a chance to meet Lance?" Shiro joked about it and they both cackled at this, "Should I call them now and tell that you're ready?"

"Yeah, you can."

Sam went inside his office while Shiro went to get them. Lance and Hunk were just chatting about some things when Shiro went inside his office, "You ready boys? Sam just arrived at his office."

Lance and Hunk just stood up and followed at his gesture. Shiro knocked on the door and the boys went inside to finally meet the man.

The two of them saluted and greeted the Commander, "Sir!"

Sam saw the excitement on the boys, "At ease there, cadets," He decided to make them a bit more comfortable, "No need to be formal around me kiddos."

"Thank you, Sir."

Sam quickly spots Lance, "So, you must be Lance McClain? Shiro told me a lot about you," As he shakes his hands.

"Thank you, Sir, Hopefully nothing embarrassing."

Sam chuckled at his response, "Well, nothing yet," And small smile formed in his lips while he spots his friend that he brought with, "Who's this friend that you came with?"

Lance tried to impress Commander Holt, "He's my best friend Hunk, Sir. He's my number one co-pilot when we're flying the two-seater's and his other role is a flight engineer," Both of them had a smile on their faces.

"He must be an excellent one then and a good best friend to have judging from the faces that you make."

"He really is, Sir," Lance was just really proud that he became best friends with Hunk.

Sam was about to ask another question until they heard some voices behind the door and it was his children that barged in. Katie and Matt's bickering immediately stopped when they saw the two cadets in their dad's office. Katie suddenly starred at Lance like there's no one else in room. She was so attached that it was only until her dad introduced them that she only snapped, "These are my two children, Matt and Katie."

Matt thought of that they should greet them at the same time, but Katie was heavily ogling at Lance. He just decided that he's going to answer for her too, "Hello there."

Hunk was the first one to respond back, "Uhh, Hi!".

Lance almost forgot to respond back as he was so awed at the girl in front of him, "Uhmm, Hi too!" He lightly blushed when he spoke.

A blush also formed on Katie's face as he heard his voice and she slowly looked over to Shiro and eyed him with a glare that said, _'You've set this up!'_ He raised his eyebrows in reply and smiled that said yes to her expression. But she tried to hide her _shock and anger_ towards Shiro from anyone else on the room. She eventually returned to looking at the boys present in room.

Matt noticed that his sister looked like she was having the daydream of her life happening to her, so he decided to introduce himself first, "My name is Matt, I'm on my 4th year hear at the Garrison. I'm currently taking a specialization in communications."

Then he spots the boy of interest and a grin slowly appeared on his face, "You must be Lance, right?" He approached him and shook his hands.

"Yeah."

"Shiro told us your dreams and how you're achieving it. I just have to say, you're such a skillful and talented cadet." "I heard _someone_ is proud and happy for you too," Katie was caught off guard by his brother's words and further blushed but she's thankful that everyone's eyes are between Matt and Lance.

"Wow, thanks! I'm just doing my best here," Lance sounded a bit flattered with all the compliments he was receiving in the room.

Matt switches to his friend, "I think you're Hunk? I've seen you a couple of times in the engineering department."

"Yeah, I'm a flight engineer and just curious with how all the machines we have here work. Though I rarely find the time to properly explore it," Hunk sounded a bit sad because he was really interested in seeing that area more.

"You should try going with me big guy. They have this section where they test wing flex of newly designed spacecraft and this is the most awesome thing they have there," Matt suggested it to him in the hopes that he could excite and cheer him up.

"Thanks. I'll give it a try," he sounded shy at his invitation to do it.

Katie observed their interaction and she managed to control her blushing situation. She was feeling a bit calm and comfortable until her brother finished his introduction and decided to elbow her and gestured for her to also introduce herself.

She sounded a bit shy and stuttered a little, but she composed herself, "I'm K-Katie, I want to go here and be like my dad and brother eventually but I'm still a year away," She smiled and held her hand out in front of Lance to offer a handshake.

Katie suddenly felt a surge of energy in her body the moment he touched her hand and suddenly craved more of it. She internally thought of his touch, 'Wow, he's so soft and warm'. The two of them didn't even notice that they held their hands a bit longer than usual. It was only until Hunk decided to offer his hand to Katie that they decided to remove their hands.

Unknown to Lance and Katie, everyone in the room noticed this _interesting_ interaction they had. Everyone then settled down and Sam began to say something until he and Shiro's phone sounded. It was nothing major but the two of them are quickly needed for something. Then he just told them, "Oh what a coincidence that we have now. It's unfortunate that I won't get to talk with you boys more. Maybe we can next time?"

The two boys were a bit sad and disappointed that this happened, but they understand as people like them are needed by others in the Garrison, "It's fine Sir. We understand your situation."

Sam then thought of a way to get his children to spend time with the cadets, "Why don't you four explore the rest of the Garrison?" The four looked at him with curiosity, "Katie's going here someday so why not let her see the place more?"

Matt got curious as to why they're needed since it's rare for them to be called in days like this, "What's the call about Dad?"

"We've been requested to be present on observing the wing flex test on one of the newly made SSTO."

He then thought of something, "Dad, can the two of us go and see it? I'm sure Hunk would be so happy to see it happen? Please?" Matt used his puppy dog eyes and pouting to convince him into letting them come.

"Well, I suppose so," but then Sam thought of his daughter's curiosity, "But what about your sister?"

"I'm sure Lance would be an excellent guide and they would do great in exploring the area," _and each other's heart_ , Matt silently added to that thought. He patted Lance on the shoulder, "Right, Lance? You can help Katie know more about the Garrison?"

"Yeah, sure! I can go with her," He sounded surprised and shy at his request.

Sam gestured the four of them to leave the office and told Katie and Lance, "Take care you two and have fun!"

It was just the two of them left in the office and they're shy of making a move. However, Lance decided to take initiative and asked her, "So, wanna explore the Garrison?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

He opened the door for her, "After you please," and smiled at her.

"Thanks!" she smiled back too.

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 **AN:**

 **PS: On their visit, Katie is wearing her purple dress, Matt with his green hoodie (sweatshirt?), Sam in his Garrison uniform and Colleen with the one in S7.**

 **That's it for now. Next time Lance and Katie would explore the Garrison** **and each other** **.**

 **I've split this fic since I may have not the time to write it properly in the coming weeks. Hopefully, the next part won't be too far from now.**

 **Bonus time! My titles are referring to songs that I've listened to while working on this. One is for a video game OST and the other one? You can find that out.**


End file.
